Lesson One: An Introduction to the Houses

It is good to see everyone again for the next stage of our astrological adventure.

This term things get really interesting because we are going to add two major new

levels to our astrology, both of which explain how the birth chart actually manifests

in real life.

Just to recap: last term we explored the meaning of the planets - the characters in

the play of our lives - and by putting them in the astrological signs, we explored

how each planet seeks to express itself, its motivation, values, desires and goals. We

looked at the way the zodiac signs are constructed, by polarity (positive or

negative), modality (cardinal, fixed or mutable), and by element (earth, air, fire or

water). This term we are going to bring our astrology down to earth - literally. We

are going to see how the planets and signs function in the world. It is not until the

moment of our birth that the astrological houses and angles are created, and it is at

that moment that the universal pattern becomes personalised, setting the scene for

the unfolding drama of our lives. In addition to the two axes created by the angles,

we will add a third major axis to our charts, that of the Moon's Nodes. With the

angles functioning as our personal doorways into the world, we will see how the

nodal axis functions as a doorway into other dimensions that appear to hold our

pattern and remember our soul's purpose.

When we have identified the houses and the three axes in the chart, we will go on to

explore the aspects, the relationships between the planets, and consider whether

they support or do battle with each other. The aspects describe the dynamic tension,

struggle, talent and potential in every chart. They tell stories that are both intensely

personal and yet reflect universal themes which, to a greater or lesser extent, we all

recognise. Finally, with all the components in place - planets, signs, house, angles

and aspects - we will spend the last evening of this term on the general

interpretation of a birth chart, integrating everything we have learned so far.

Audience: There just seem to be so many layers to all this. I think I am beginning

to lose my confidence. I used to think I knew a great deal of astrology, and now I

increasingly feel as if I know nothing.

Clare: Well, you can now join the club, because you are not alone. When we first

come across astrology, we tend to approach it just as we would with any other kind

of learning - we seek to master it. We feel that once we have learned the grammar,

we should be able to speak the language fluently. But ultimately, astrology is a

living and constantly evolving tradition that cannot be mastered in this way; we can

only hope to participate in its wonders and mysteries. Astrology teaches us to

question, to open our minds to multiple and subtle layers of meaning. It is one of

the ancient mystery traditions which leads us into a dialogue with living forces

which are sometimes opaque or hidden from us, sometimes capricious, often

humorous, and occasionally overwhelmingly astonishing and meaningful. Our best

approach is one of enquiry and humility - we can ask astrology questions and wait

patiently for the answers. If we attempt to impose our own preconceived notions

upon it, then we will not hear it speak to us. So don't despair - I think this is an

excellent sign.

Incarnation and the angles

We are going to add a new dimension to our astrology tonight. Up until the moment

of our birth, the planets and signs are disembodied - they are of universal, collective

significance only. They exist as principles, unable to take any particular, specific

shape or form. However, at the exact time and place of our birth, the forever-

changing pattern of the heavens becomes fixed, in what is the most powerful,

seismic moment of our lives. At the moment of birth our undifferentiated wholeness

comes to an end, and we find ourselves quartered, nailed, as it were, to the cross of

matter, to the two major axes which are the angles of the chart. From that moment

on we are concretised, caught in the drama of opposites, which is also the drama of

life itself.

Every birth chart is a reflection of the symbol for the earth, the cross within the

circle, describing the precise nature of the specific material, solid, concrete world

into which we have been born and through which each of us must manifest

ourselves. It is the angles which make time and space comprehensible, which give

us our orientation, our east, west, north and south. The horizon, or east-west axis at

that moment, forms the Ascendant-Descendant of the chart, and the meridian, or

south-north axis, forms the MC (Medium Coeli) and IC (Imum Coeli).

Simultaneously, the twelve astrological houses come into being, taking their

starting point from the Ascendant. The houses describe every area of life and all the

relationships that we will encounter - they describe 'where' or 'in what area of life'

we will meet, experience and express the planetary principles. It is the angles and

the houses that turn the universal picture into a highly particular and specific map of

the individual psyche and into an entirely personal life story.

Whether or not we believe, as the ancients did, that our souls choose the specific

time and place of our birth, nevertheless from the moment of birth our lives are

circumscribed and defined within the limits of our birth chart. We cannot trade in or

exchange any of the positions of the planets, or decide to have another birth sign or

a different house placement of Pluto, for example. We are literally stuck with our

birth charts, which means that nothing can come to pass which is not already

present as potential in our birth charts. In this sense, our birth charts are indeed our

fate. But they are also a tiny and unique piece of the great project, the magnum opus

of collective human evolution. What is of interest from this point of view is not the

birth chart itself, but how each of us engages and actively participates with the

unique part of the whole which has been allotted to us, knowing that the way we

live our own lives will add to the sum total of all human experience and existence.

The astrological birth chart remains exactly the same for our entire lives. There is

no guarantee that we will be any more integrated, evolved or conscious at the end of

our lives than we were at the beginning. The question is whether our lives are going

to make a difference, 'for nature's continued existence depends ultimately on the

kind of consciousness we bring to bear on it'. [1]Ultimately, it is up to each one of

us to decide what to do with our birth chart and how to live it.

Once a vision of life as an organic whole is accepted in principle, humanity

becomes in one sense a co-creator with nature, in so far as it can foster, ignore or

destroy its identity with nature. [2]

If we are working alchemically, then there is work to be done. Our job is to work

against the blindness of our natural state in the service of increased consciousness:

Things are created and given into our hands, but not in the ultimate form that is

proper to them ... For alchemy means: to carry to its end something that has not yet

been completed; to obtain the lead from the ore and to transform it into what it is

made for. [3]

Let's see how a horoscope is created at a particular time and in a particular place. I

thought it would be interesting to use today's astrology as an example of how this

works. Have a look at the positions of the planets in this chart. On this day, no

matter where in the world we happen to be, the Moon, Sun, Neptune, Uranus and

Mercury are all in Aquarius. Mars is in Scorpio, Pluto and Chiron are in Sagittarius,

Venus is in Pisces, Saturn is in Taurus, and Jupiter is in Gemini.

24 January 2001, 6.00 am GMT, London

Equal House system

From what we learned last term, we can already get a good sense of the astrological

themes described by the planets in these signs, and the many millions of people

born today will carry these themes with them throughout their lives and live them

out in a variety of specific, individual ways. However, the houses, or areas of life in

which these themes will be expressed, depend upon the exact time and place of each

person's birth. I have fixed this horoscope in time and space by setting it for 6.00

am this morning, in London.

The east-west horizon: Ascendant/Descendant axis

Imagine that you are standing right in the centre of this horoscope. The Ascendant

is on your left, which tells us that at 6.00 this morning, 0 24' of the sign of Capricorn was rising over the eastern horizon. The Descendant is on your right, and

you can see that 0 24' of the sign of Cancer was setting over the western horizon. The Sun ascends over the eastern horizon every day at dawn and descends over the

western horizon every day at sunset. You can see from this horoscope that it is still

dark because the Sun is under the horizon, which is something we know anyway,

because the Sun does not rise in London in January until just before 8.00 am.

From our position at the centre of the chart, the entire zodiac and all the planets and

stars appear to rotate around us in a clockwise direction every twenty-four hours at

an average rate of approximately 1 every four minutes. The Ascendant is also the starting point of the twelve houses, with the first house beginning at the Ascendant,

and all the houses follow anti-clockwise around the chart, until you can see that the

12th house ends at the same point that the 1st house begins: at the Ascendant.

Houses 1 to 6 are below the horizon, hidden from view under the earth, and houses

7 to 12 are visible above the horizon.

The south-north meridian: MC/IC axis

The other major axis of orientation is the point where the Sun's path crosses the

north-south meridian, the points due north and due south at the moment of birth,

known as the MC/IC axis. Once again, if you are standing in the centre of the chart,

with the east on your left and the west on your right, then you will be facing south,

and the Midheaven or MC (an abbreviation of Medium Coeli, the Latin for 'middle

of the heavens') will be directly ahead and above you. The IC (an abbreviation of

Imum Coeli, the Latin for 'lowest part of the heavens') will be directly behind you

and under the earth. At 6.00 am this morning in London, the MC was 5 46' Scorpio, which means that the IC was exactly opposite, at 5 46' Taurus. Audience: I am having difficulty with this, because in normal maps the west is on

the left and the east is on the right, with the north above and the south below. How

does a natal chart fit in with the normal way we look at a map?

Clare: That is a good point. Imagine that you are looking at an atlas. Where are you

actually looking from?

Audience: Well, I suppose you are looking down at the earth from some place in

space?

Clare: Exactly. You are disembodied - looking down at the earth from somewhere

outside the earth, and indeed from somewhere outside your body. Astrology is

geocentric, so we are looking out at the heavens from our place on the earth and in

our bodies. Now, imagine that you are standing in a wide-open place, somewhere

like Salisbury Plain. Facing due south, the MC will be directly ahead of you and the

IC, or north point, will be directly behind you, invisible, under the earth. All the

constellations and planets will appear to rise over the eastern horizon to your left;

they will gradually rise higher in the sky until they cross the MC, and then their

height will gradually diminish until they set somewhere over the western horizon.

Imagine that the entire zodiac is moving around you in a clockwise direction. At

6.00 am this morning, the five planets in Aquarius were all in the 2nd house, and

Chiron had just risen over the Ascendant and entered the 12th house. You can also

see very graphically that there is about to be a new Moon, because the Moon is just

over 3 behind the Sun and, since it moves very rapidly through the signs, at approximately 1 every two hours, we can immediately see that there was a new Moon today, at about 12.00 noon.

24 January 2001, 2.00 pm GMT, London

Equal House system

We are now going to look at the situation eight hours later, at 2.00 pm this

afternoon. All the planets in Aquarius have moved from the 2nd house through the

1st, 12th, 11th, 10th and 9th houses, and across the MC. The Sun and Moon are

now in the 7th house, with Neptune, Uranus, and Mercury still in the 8th house. The

new Moon has already occurred, and the Moon is now ahead of the Sun and quickly

approaching Neptune. Incidentally, it is most auspicious to begin a new term in a

new year at the new Moon. So this is a perfect time for our new beginning.

24 January 2001, 7.00 pm GMT, London

Equal House system

By 7.00 pm, which is the moment when our class and the second term of this course

began, the picture has changed again. You can see that all the planets in Aquarius

have crossed the Descendant and entered the 6th house, which means that it is now

dark, as you can see by looking out of the window. Saturn is just about to cross the

MC, to be followed by Jupiter. The Moon has already crossed over Neptune and is

now more than a degree away, moving rapidly towards Uranus and then Mercury.

In actual fact, of course, the signs and planets are not revolving in a clockwise

direction around us every twenty-four hours - they just appear to do so from our

position in the centre of the chart. Rather, it is the earth itself that is turning on its

axis every twenty-four hours. So another way of seeing the same thing is to focus

on the fact that the east-west and north-south points are moving anti-clockwise at a

rate of approximately 1 every four minutes against the backdrop of the planets and signs. This means that the Ascendant gradually moves anti-clockwise from

Sagittarius to Capricorn to Aquarius to Pisces, and so on right around the zodiac,

until it returns to the same point in Capricorn once again, roughly twenty-four hours

later.

Understanding how all this works in practice is very helpful, because then we can

visualise for ourselves exactly what a birth chart is from an astronomical point of

view. It is worth visiting the Greenwich Observatory or the London Planetarium,

just to experience for yourself how this mechanism actually works. It can be

confusing until you understand that the east-west and north-south axes are moving

in an anti-clockwise direction around the chart, whereas all the planets and signs

appear to be moving in a clockwise direction from your place of observation.

Audience: Looking at a chart in this way helps to see the whole thing visually.

Does this mean that people born at night, with the Sun under the horizon, are more

comfortable in the dark?

Clare: Well, it is certainly true that people with the majority of their planets under

the horizon tend to be more private and to draw their strength and their meaning

from within themselves. This is a good example of the way that our astrological

interpretations are put into context if we understand the astronomical structure of a

birth chart.

Audience: Can you say something about the different house systems? I find this

particularly confusing and don't really know where to start.

About house systems

Clare: This is turning into a rather technical lesson but, as you can see from our

own chart this evening, that is not really surprising. Saturn is the most elevated

planet in the chart at the moment, and it is strongly emphasised because it is on the

MC. And since Saturn is in the fixed earth sign of Taurus, we are working to bring

the chart down to earth, to understand the structure. Jupiter in Gemini indicates that

we all want to learn, and with all the Aquarian planets in the 6th house of work, this

also tells us that we are interested in bringing the heavens down to earth and making

them work for us.

There are many different house systems in astrology, and no doubt you have

already come across this and wondered which is the 'correct' house system to use.

However, house systems, like everything else in astrology, are subject to fashion

and to personal preference. The only contribution I can make here is to suggest that

a horoscope is like a hologram - no matter how it is divided, the overall pattern and

structure remain identical, since the meaning of the whole is reflected in each of its

parts. Perhaps the major house systems used today are the Placidus, Koch and Equal

House systems. Placidus and Koch are quadrant systems, which means that the

meridian, or MC-IC axis, is always found on the 10th and 4th house cusps, with

three complete houses in each quadrant of the chart.

For the purposes of this course, I am using the Equal House system, in which the

zodiac is divided into twelve equal sections of 30, beginning at the Ascendant.

This means, as you can see from the three charts we have already looked at tonight,

that the meridian is not anchored to the cusps of the 10th and 4th houses, but 'floats',

being found anywhere from the 11th-5th houses to the 10th-4th houses, the 9th-3rd

houses, and the 8th-2nd houses. The reason for this is that the angle between the

horizon (Ascendant-Descendant axis) and the meridian (MC-IC axis) is constantly

changing, depending on the time of day, the time of year, and the latitude for which

the horoscope is set.

Have another look at the series of charts above. At 6.00 am this morning, the

meridian was in the 11th and 5th houses, because the angle between the meridian

and the east point of the horizon was less than 60. By 2.00 pm this afternoon, the meridian was in the 8th and 2nd houses, because the angle between the meridian

and the east point of the horizon was just over 120. By the beginning of our class at 7.00 pm, the angle had altered again to just over 90, and it will continue to decrease until 6.00 am tomorrow morning, when it will be around 60 once again. We will look at the interpretation of the MC-IC axis over the next few weeks, but

for the time being it is just worth noting that, no matter which house system we use,

the meaning of this axis is not identical to the meaning of the 10th-4th house cusps.

This is clear when we use the Equal House system, but not necessarily so clear

when we use a quadrant system of house division.

Let's have a look at some of the similarities and differences between the Placidus

and Equal House systems of house division. Here is the chart for 6.00 am this

morning in both house systems. You will see that the positions of planets, the

angles of the chart, and the relationship between the planets remains identical.

However, some of the planets have changed houses. You can see, for example, that

in the Equal House system, the five Aquarian planets are in the 2nd house, with

Venus in the 3rd, Saturn in the 4th, Jupiter in the 6th and Mars in the 11th. In the

Placidus house system, however, the Moon, Sun and Neptune are in the 1st house,

with Uranus, Mercury and Venus in the 2nd, Saturn in the 4th, Jupiter in the 5th,

and Mars in the 10th.

Audience: Now I am really confused. Surely these two charts are now completely

different and their interpretation will be totally different?

Clare: I am afraid that the answer to this is both yes and no, because as astrologers

we are going to find ourselves inevitably confronted with the whole issue of the

nature of objective truth, and of the meaning we impose upon the objective world.

Astrology does not respond well to any ideas we might have about there being only

one truth. At the end of the day, the art of interpretation will always depend upon

each astrologer's individual perceptions and preconceptions, and on the particular

nature of each astrologer's relationship to factual, symbolic and mythic thinking.

Perhaps the best thing you can do is to experiment with several house systems, and

no doubt you will gradually find the one you prefer - the one that works for you. It

is not uncommon for astrologers to use different house systems for different

astrological techniques. So try and hang on in there and see what emerges for you

over time.

Let's look at some of the other differences between these two house systems. With

the Placidus chart, the houses can be very different sizes, and this difference in size

tends gets more and more extreme as the latitude of the place of birth increases. In

fact, the Placidus system breaks down altogether at high latitudes, which was never

a problem traditionally, since astrological lore was developed around the temperate

zones of the Mediterranean. Large houses can contain whole signs, which are

referred to as intercepted signs. These signs are considered to be 'buried' in the

particular houses they fall into, and the planetary ruler/s of that sign are generally

considered to have more difficulty functioning 'in the world' because they are not

anchored to a house cusp and do not rule any of the houses. You will see from the

Placidus chart that the signs of Pisces and Virgo are intercepted, being 'buried' in

the 2nd and 8th houses respectively. When signs are fully contained within a house,

the planetary rulers of those signs may not be anchored in time or space - may not

have a home, which means that they may not be able to function particularly

strongly in the world.

Audience: Can you confirm what you mean by planets ruling houses?

Clare: Each house has a 'cusp' which marks the place where the house begins. In

this chart, the 1st house cusp is 0 24' Capricorn, so Saturn, which rules Capricorn, will rule the 1st house. The 2nd house cusp is 17 15' Aquarius, so Saturn is the personal ruler of the 2nd house and Uranus is the collective, transpersonal ruler.

This is important because we will all have 'empty' or 'untenanted' houses with no

planets in them, but this does not mean that nothing is happening there. It simply

means that we will look to the ruler of the house for information about the way that

house is functioning.

Audience: Can you say how this might actually work out in this chart?

Clare: Let's go back to the first chart I showed you tonight, and imagine that we are

studying the chart of somebody born in London at 6.00 am this morning. The signs

of Pisces and Virgo are intercepted, and the rulers of these two signs are Jupiter

(traditional ruler of Pisces), Neptune (transpersonal ruler of Pisces), and Mercury

(ruler of Virgo). As the co-ruler of Aquarius, Saturn rules the 2nd house, so it is

grounded in the chart. Taking the intercepted signs of Pisces and Virgo, the rulers

are Jupiter, Neptune and Mercury. Jupiter and Mercury are grounded in the chart

because they also rule Sagittarius and Gemini, the signs on the 12th and 6th house

cusps. But Neptune has no home. And it may be difficult for Venus to find tangible

expression, since it is in the intercepted sign of Pisces. So it looks as if this person

may be rather disembodied and diffuse and imaginative. This is supported by the

fact that there is very little earth in the chart apart from the Capricorn Ascendant -

only Saturn in Taurus.

On the other hand, whenever there are intercepted signs in the large houses in the

Placidus system, it will also be the case that the same pair of planets will rule two of

the smaller houses, and those planets function strongly in the world because they

are anchored to more than one house cusp. For example, you will see that Mars and

Pluto rule both the 10th and 11th houses, because the cusp of both houses is

Scorpio, and Venus rules both the 4th and 5th houses, because the cusp of both

houses is Taurus. This information tells us about the relative strength of the planets

and where to put the emphasis in our interpretation. Mars, Pluto, and Venus will be

strongly emphasised in the chart. But as we have already seen, Venus is in the

intercepted sign of Pisces, so we can assume that the person born at 6.00 this

morning will be particularly imaginative and sensitive but may have difficulty

finding an outlet for this.

Finally, because the Placidus system is a quadrant house system, three complete

houses are found in each of the four quadrants. Starting from the angles, these are

known as angular, succedent and cadent houses, and the meaning of these terms is

not dissimilar to the meaning of the cardinal, fixed and mutable modes. In an Equal

House chart, on the other hand, each planet has equal weight 'in the world' because

each sign (and therefore the planetary ruler of each sign) is 'anchored' to a house

cusp.

1. Baring, Anne and Jules Cashford, The Myth of the Goddess (London: Penguin/Arkana, 1991) [hereafter Baring and

Cashford), p. 681.

2. Baring and Cashford, p. 681. 3. Paracelsus, Selected Writings, ed. Jolande Jacobi, trans. Norbert Guterman, Bollingen Series XXVIII (Princeton, NJ:

Princeton University Press, 1951).

4. Idemon, Richard, 'Part One: The Basics of Relating', in Through the Looking Glass: A Search for Self in the Mirror of Relationships (York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1992).

5. Dethlefsen, Thorwald, The Challenge of Fate (London: Coventure Ltd., 1984). 6. Sasportas, Howard, The Twelve Houses: An Introduction to the Houses in Astrological Interpretation (Wellingborough:

Aquarian Press, 1985), 'Chapter 15: Grouping the Houses'.

7. Von Schlieffen, Alexander, When Chimpanzees Dream Astrology: An Introduction to the Quadrants of the Horoscope (London: CPA Press, 2004).

The twelve houses

Now that we have looked at how the twelve houses are constructed in the first place, we can

consider how each house describes different ways in which we engage with the world. Every

area of experience and every relationship we will ever have are right there in our own birth

charts, with each house describing a particular kind of relationship, as you can see from this

table. The planets in each house and the condition of the planets ruling each of these houses will

describe the quality of these kinds of relationships in our lives. Now have a look at this

overview of the types of activities we will be engaged in, and the people we are likely to meet

in each of the twelve houses.

1st house Relationship to our immediate environment

2nd house Relationship to our body, our money and our possessions

3rd house Relationship to siblings, neighbours, cars, and teachers

4th house Relationship to father, family and early environment

5th house Relationship to our children, pleasures, and risk-taking

6th house Relationship to work, co-workers, daily ritual and routine, health, pets

7th house Relationship to partners and spouses

8th house Relationship to sex, death, and shared resources

9th house Relationship to travel, foreigners, higher education, meaning, and to our god

10th house Relationship to mother, public world, profession, boss

11th house Relationship to friends, colleagues, politics, and society

12th house Relationship to dreams, images, and hidden worlds

Nature and nurture

Before we look at each of the houses individually, it is worth saying a bit more about the

relationship between individual perception and external reality. It is clear from our birth charts

that we are not blank slates when we are born. Rather, we are born with our pattern already

complete, which means that we are inherently attuned to perceive and process our experiences

and our relationships according to the inbuilt frequency and resonance of our birth charts.

Imagine, for example, that you are discussing your mother with your brother. Logically, we

would expect you to have similar or even identical impressions of her since, objectively

speaking, she is the same person. But it is our own perceptions and experiences, rather than her

'objective reality', which are found in our birth charts, so it is likely that each of you sees her

rather differently.

As you can see from the tables above, it is the 10th house that describes our relationship to our

mother and our contribution to the world. Say, for example, that you have Jupiter in the 10th

house and your brother has Saturn in the 10th house. This would indicate that your perception

of your mother is that she is philosophical, gregarious, and popular, that she encourages you to

believe in your potential for success, that she opens up the world for you and broadens your

horizons. Your brother, on the other hand, is more likely to perceive her as a figure of authority,

a woman who carries responsibility at work, someone who is strict and demands that he work

hard in order to achieve success and respect in the world, leaving nothing to chance.

The interesting question here is, which of you is right? From an astrological viewpoint, the

people in our lives are a reflection of who we are. 'They are our mirrors, reflecting back to us

not only what we consider positive about ourselves, but also what we are unconscious of, or

reject in ourselves.' [4]This means that no relationship is possible which is not already indicated

somewhere in our birth chart. According to the law of resonance, we can only perceive

something if we have a corresponding vibration. 'Anything which lies outside our capacity to

resonate cannot be perceived by us and therefore does not exist for us.' [5]Resonance can either

be sympathetic, an affinity with another person or thing, or it can be antipathetic, an aversion to

another person or thing. This is why the external world and other people are the most reliable

source of information about ourselves.

Going back to this particular example, you are more likely to elicit a warm, positive, and

enthusiastic response from your mother, whereas your brother is more likely to elicit from your

mother a strict and rather more demanding response. And it is highly likely that your mother

will have both these themes in her own chart, although your experience of her will be

determined by your own charts.

Time and space

No doubt you can see straight away that there is a natural affinity between the twelve signs of

the zodiac, starting with Aries, and the twelve houses of the horoscope, starting with the 1st

house. They are not the same thing but, since the signs describe a temporal cycle and the houses

describe a spatial cycle, the two systems can be superimposed upon each other because, in

astrology, every cycle has the same intrinsic meaning.

Audience: So we have two systems which are similar but not the same. Can you say a bit more

about that?

Clare: Yes, that was a fairly broad statement. The cycle of the zodiac is temporal, because the

signs are an expression of the annual, seasonal cycle of the Sun's changing relationship with the

earth - so it is a cycle defined by time. Just as the Sun always moves in one direction - through

time, from Aries all the way through to Pisces before beginning again a year later - we also

develop temporally, but our sphere of consciousness also develops spatially, from our totally

subjective awareness in the 1st house, through our developing awareness of our family, of

others and of the world, right through to the point where we become totally merged with all of

human experience in the 12th house. So there is a natural progression in both signs and houses

that reflects our development through time and space. In practice, we are working with both

these dimensions simultaneously. This means, for example, that no matter which planets are in

our 5th house or which planet rules our 5th house of creative self expression, this house will

always be naturally associated with the sign of Leo and its 'natural ruler' will always be the Sun.

Hopefully you are still with me at this stage?

Audience: Yes, that does make sense. It is like doing a three-dimensional sudoko puzzle.

Clare: Exactly right. With the introduction of houses, we are in fact adding a third dimension to

our astrology. We are moving beyond the simple 'what' and 'how' of the planets and signs, and

adding the 'where' of the houses, so we have to hold three different factors in our minds all the

time.

1. Baring, Anne and Jules Cashford, The Myth of the Goddess (London: Penguin/Arkana, 1991) [hereafter Baring and Cashford), p. 681. 2. Baring and Cashford, p. 681. 3. Paracelsus, Selected Writings, ed. Jolande Jacobi, trans. Norbert Guterman, Bollingen Series XXVIII (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1951). 4. Idemon, Richard, 'Part One: The Basics of Relating', in Through the Looking Glass: A Search for Self in the Mirror of Relationships (York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser, Inc.,

1992).

5. Dethlefsen, Thorwald, The Challenge of Fate (London: Coventure Ltd., 1984).

6. Sasportas, Howard, The Twelve Houses: An Introduction to the Houses in Astrological Interpretation (Wellingborough: Aquarian Press, 1985), 'Chapter 15: Grouping the Houses'. 7. Von Schlieffen, Alexander, When Chimpanzees Dream Astrology: An Introduction to the Quadrants of the Horoscope (London: CPA Press, 2004).

Chart shapes

Before we consider the meanings of the individual houses, it is useful to stand back and look at

the general shape of each birth chart, according to the distribution of the planets in the houses.

At this stage we are looking for any kind of special emphasis - crowded areas of the chart will

immediately tell us where the emphasis will lie. I would recommend Howard Sasportas' book,

The Twelve Houses, in which he divides the houses into two, three, and four general realms of

experience. [6]

North-south hemispheres

Every chart is divided by the angles into two sets of hemispheres. The first six houses describe

our personal development, and the following six houses describe our relationship to others, to

society, and to the world in general.

The horizon (Ascendant-Descendant axis) divides the chart into a northern hemisphere below

the horizon and a southern hemisphere above the horizon. Houses 1 to 6 lie under the horizon,

under the earth, and are therefore hidden from view. They are houses of self- development,

describing our subjective, internal worlds. Houses 7 to 12 lie above the horizon, in full view,

and describe how we relate to others and to the world around us.

As with all opposites, these two hemispheres oppose, challenge, depend upon and complement

each other. If we have an emphasis of planets below the horizon, no matter how active and

successful we are in the outer world and however involved we are with other people, we will

ultimately draw meaning and fulfilment from within ourselves, from our personal, private lives.

Every house has a planetary ruler, which means that the houses above the horizon will be ruled

by planets below the horizon. Experiences gained in the outside world need to be internalised,

taken back into the inner world for processing. This means that the outer, public world always

remains, to some extent, unfamiliar and rather uncomfortable territory.

Conversely, if we have a marked emphasis of planets above the horizon, then no matter how

stable and secure we are on a personal level, we will ultimately draw meaning and purpose and

find fulfilment through our relationships with others and with the outer world - it is these areas

of life which will energise us. The personal, subjective, introverted approach is not for us, since

the houses below the horizon will be ruled by planets which are above the horizon, so that our

inner resources and values will be externalised, taken into the world and shared. This means that

the inner, private world will remain, to some extent, unfamiliar and uncomfortable territory.

Does anyone have a marked emphasis of planets in one of these hemispheres?

Audience: Yes, I have. Almost all my planets are below the horizon, in the first six houses.

Clare: So we can presume that you are, fundamentally, a private person with a rich inner life.

However demanding and active and successful your outer life is, nevertheless it appears that

you will draw your strength and your energy from within yourself, and that it is there that you

are most at home and most fulfilled, at the end of the day. We can also say that your outer life,

your involvement with others and with the world, does not really fulfil you on a fundamental

level. Does this ring true at all?

Audience: Yes, that is very interesting. Given the choice, I would much rather do my own thing

than get involved with group activities, but I have always thought of this as a weakness and

criticised myself for being anti-social.

Clare: Once again, this is a good example of how astrology can give us the confidence to

accept ourselves just as we are, rather than feeling obliged to become what we think we ought

to be.

East-west hemispheres

The other major division of the houses is defined by the MC-IC axis which divides the chart

into eastern and western hemispheres, with the eastern hemisphere being on the left, or 'oriental'

side of the chart, and the western hemisphere being on the right, or 'occidental' side of the chart.

Broadly speaking, if we have a marked emphasis of planets in the eastern hemisphere houses,

we are likely to be self-defining - our orientation and perspective will be fundamentally

subjective. With such a chart, we tend to create our own reality, and to rely primarily on

ourselves and on our own resources. Ultimately, relationships, however significant, will tend to

be measured against our own subjective needs and wishes, since the houses in the western

hemisphere will be ruled by planets in the eastern hemisphere. This means that relationships are

always going to be rather uncomfortable territory, although it is also easier, with an eastern

hemisphere emphasis, to break off from negative or destructive relationships which do not serve

our personal needs.

Conversely, a marked emphasis of planets in the western hemisphere tends to indicate that we

will define ourselves primarily in terms of our relationships, whether to family, children, work

colleagues, partners, or to the philosophical or religious beliefs to which we adhere. Ultimately,

it is through these kinds of relationships and connections that we define ourselves, and our

subjective or individual identity outside these kinds of relationships is likely to remain

unexplored, unfamiliar and rather awkward, since the houses in the eastern hemisphere will be

ruled by planets in the western hemisphere.

Audience: The chart for our class has a marked western hemisphere emphasis.

Clare: Yes, and that is an excellent sign, because it means that we are likely to want to learn

from each other and to listen to each other. Naturally, none of these orientations is any better

than any other, since astrology is a descriptive language and has no moral agendas. But a

marked hemisphere emphasis provides us with a valuable clue about the general orientation of

our clients. I have almost always found that people with a strong eastern hemisphere emphasis

take their autonomy for granted, and are much more likely to consult an astrologer about

relationship issues, which are far more puzzling to them. Likewise, the big question for those

with a strong western hemisphere emphasis tends to be how to define and identify themselves

as individuals, outside the area of relationship. Perhaps that is our real motivation in this class.

Audience: Well, that is certainly true from my point of view.

Three phases of relationship

The houses can also usefully be divided into three areas of relationship: personal, social and

universal. The first four houses describe our personal orientation and our relationship to our

immediate environment. Howard Sasportas called this the experience of 'Me-in-Here'. For

people with a strong emphasis in the personal houses, a major focus of their lives will be on

personal development and security. Houses 5 to 8 are socially oriented, describing how 'Me-in-

Here-meets-You-out-There'. For people with a strong emphasis in the social houses,

relationships will be particularly important. Houses 9 to 12 are universal houses, describing our

involvement with the world at large. The emphasis is on 'Us-in-Here', and on our contribution to

the greater picture which involves us all. In each of these phases, we begin with the enthusiasm

and optimism of the natural fire houses (1st, 5th, and 9th), consolidate and establish ourselves in

the earth houses which follow (2nd, 6th, and 10th), develop new understanding as a result of

these experiences in the air houses (3rd, 7th, and 11th), and withdraw to absorb and emotionally

process what has been learned in the water houses (4th, 8th, and 12th) before moving on to the

next phase, which will begin with the fire houses once again.

Quadrants

We can go one step further and divide the houses into four quadrants, which have been

described by Howard Sasportas as the quadrants of self development, self expansion, self

expression and self transcendence. I would also recommend Alexander von Schlieffen's book in

the CPA seminar series, which is devoted to this subject and provides an excellent exploration

of the meaning and interpretation of the quadrants in the horoscope. [7]

1. Baring, Anne and Jules Cashford, The Myth of the Goddess (London: Penguin/Arkana, 1991) [hereafter Baring and Cashford), p. 681. 2. Baring and Cashford, p. 681. 3. Paracelsus, Selected Writings, ed. Jolande Jacobi, trans. Norbert Guterman, Bollingen Series XXVIII (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1951). 4. Idemon, Richard, 'Part One: The Basics of Relating', in Through the Looking Glass: A Search for Self in the Mirror of Relationships (York Beach, ME:

Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1992).

5. Dethlefsen, Thorwald, The Challenge of Fate (London: Coventure Ltd., 1984). 6. Sasportas, Howard, The Twelve Houses: An Introduction to the Houses in Astrological Interpretation (Wellingborough: Aquarian Press, 1985), 'Chapter 15:

Grouping the Houses'.

7. Von Schlieffen, Alexander, When Chimpanzees Dream Astrology: An Introduction to the Quadrants of the Horoscope (London: CPA Press, 2004).